The Promise Ring
by C3L35714
Summary: The PokéDex Holders haven't seen each other in years, which is why Diamond had no idea Platinum's father was doing his best to find a worthy husband for her. Well, you could imagine his hidden - or not so much - horror. And why did he come in the first place, anyway?


**Hello people~! This is a major time jump because of a very obvious part of the story, so I am assuming a lot of things. Also, I am completely excluding the generations past Sinnoh. (So there will only be mentions of Red, Yellow, Green, Blue, Crystal, Gold, Silver, Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Diamond, Platinum, and Pearl; just thirteen Dex Holders as of this story.)**

**I think Platinum has the most names/nicknames out of all the manga characters, so this is how I will have them be used in all my stories, just to clear that up: **

**-Platinum: Used only by me to refer to her; the characters will not call her that.  
>-Lady Berlitz: None of the Dex Holders will call her by this name, however outside characters will.<br>-Missy/Miss Lady: I usually have Diamond and Pearl call her Miss Lady, but that is interchangeable (for me) with Missy.  
><strong>**-Berlitz: I've only used this once, in _Happy Birthday to the Dex Holders_, as it is a case of urgency, and Silver is the one who calls her. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or its characters.**

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><p>For the past three, maybe even four years, Diamond had been saving up his money, big-time. He didn't tell anyone why, not even his best friends Pearl and Platinum. And he cut down quite a bit, living off the very basic needs. It shocked and even concerned everyone, but he persistently kept his mouth closed, a smile playing on his lips every once in a while.<p>

His demeanor changed too. Sure, he was the same ol' Diamond for most of the time, and everyone was secretly glad that it was clear he'd stay like that forever. But he was a good deal more responsible now, and even minimizing the amount of food he'd eat to that of a normal Pokémon, and not a Munchlax.

In fact, one of the only things that stayed exactly the same about Diamond (and if anything, it grew) was his loyalty. He remained completely loyal to everything he'd known and showed great respect towards everyone.

And in time, people and Pokémon alike had begun to get used to this new Diamond. It was no longer stunning news if he'd only eaten two hamburgers at lunch (as opposed to perhaps three times that amount).

But they had to wonder, what brought about this change? There had to be a reason. Well, no one knew but Diamond, who is currently nearing his twenty-second birthday.

(After all, after staying the same age for, what, thirty years, they had to grow up at some point, didn't they?)

But as many people say, age is just a number. So though they were much older now, the Dex Holders remained much the same. And they wouldn't have it any other way. It was simply them, the thirteen Dex Holders, which is just how they wanted it.

Which is why it was such a problem when Mr. Berlitz began to get more and more bent on finding a way in marrying off his daughter, who was also reaching her twenty-second birthday.

Platinum, to put it in a few words, did not want to marry any of her suitors. She found them all to be rude, uncouth, selfish, closed-minded, or a mixture of all that and more. They would visit the mansion every week, sometimes day-to-day, all seeking her hand. Or at least a date, which Platinum found as one of her only loopholes.

Another change that happened through the Dex Holders: because of the dreadful practicality that comes with being an adult, they were forced to separate for long periods of time, getting very wrapped up in their work. Reunions were few and far between though they did occur, and they were memorized and treasured.

It was because of this that Diamond had no idea Platinum was on her way to being engaged.

You could imagine his hidden horror when he did find out.

It was roughly 5:00 in the afternoon, and Diamond had just made his way out of a store. What store, it was hard to tell from the lack of street lamps. Even the crescent moon was hidden behind the tall buildings.

Anyway, next, Diamond was standing in front of a very large mansion. He was wearing black pants much like his old ones, his hat, and a navy jacket with long sleeves that he'd rolled up. He looked different, too. He had gotten tall, a lot taller than while on his journey, and his face had matured; he had become rather good-looking, handsome, you could say. He definitely wasn't the little kid he'd been on his journey. But then again, that was a long time ago, though memories of it were as clear as if they were merely a day ago.

Diamond took a deep breath and knocked on the door, emotions surging and washing around inside of him. Footsteps were heard, and Diamond steeled himself. The door was opened by Platinum herself, and her jaw dropped in astonishment. Diamond found himself frozen as well. She, too, had grown up. Her eyes still caught his attention and held it for quite a while, and her face was as serene as ever, despite her obvious shock at seeing him. She had gotten taller as well, though now Diamond observed that he was at least two inches taller. Her outfit was different too; she wore a black, three-quarter-sleeved shirt, a pink, slightly-A-lined skirt that went to her knees, and elegant black flats with a silver buckle on the front. Her midnight-black hair flowed only a few inches below her waist, though it was held back by only two golden clips as opposed to her white beanie. Her two rings - one diamond and one pearl - sparkled a bit

Simply said, she was beautiful.

"D-Dia?" she asked softly, and he snapped out of his trance. Or farther into it, depending on which way you looked at it.

"Hi, Missy." The next thing he knew, she had thrown herself into his arms, hugging him. After a couple seconds of shock, Diamond smiled and hugged her back. It lasted not nearly long enough as Platinum backed away, a blush on her face.

"H-Hello, Diamond. I can not express how elated I am to see you again."

"Y-Yeah. Me too." Platinum led Diamond down the hall (and another, and another) to a (one of many) sitting room, talking the entire time. Diamond was a little taken aback at first by her forwardness, but smiled and continued the conversation too. They caught up on as much as two people possibly could in two hours, and it was like they were back on their journeys again, enjoying each other's company.

Well, until IT happened.

There had been a pause in the conversation, though it was a pleasant one. Diamond was getting tense inside, his heart racing and his chest tightening every time he met her eyes. And he knew he'd made the right choice, though it had cost him - literally, and in more ways than one. Then the doorbell rang, and Diamond followed Platinum outside at her approval. Upon opening the door, an...interesting sight awaited them. It was a tall young man with a charming smile, mischievous green eyes, and an - well, Platinum disagreed, but most of the female population would have agreed that - overall hot look to him. He was smartly dressed in a pure white tux, a dark purple shirt underneath, coupled with white shoes and a tie that matched his eyes.

"Good evening, Lady." He reached for her hand and kissed it before either Diamond or Platinum could blink. "It's so nice to see you again, my dear. I brought you flowers - your favorite?" From behind his back he produced a dozen or so roses, pink in color. Diamond hardly noticed that though Platinum placed a practiced smile on her face, she was grimacing.

"Thank you so very kindly for the flowers. They are very pretty," she admitted, though they were not in fact her favorite, and not in fact from pleasant company.

Whoever-it-was strolled in through the door as if he owned the place, brushing right passed Diamond with his mysterious handbag. "Oh, my dear, I can't stress how much I have been looking forward to our date. I've been looking forward to it since I first saw you."

One thing went through Platinum's mind: I've been looking forward to seeing you leave.

And one thing went through Diamond's mind: A DATE?! She went on a DATE with HIM?!

But out loud, Platinum said, "I appreciate the compliment, but I do not believe that is scheduled for today."

And out loud, Diamond decided to tactfully remain from blurting out something that would likely stun the Lady.

The man prattled on. "I simply could not wait; you were too much of a magnet: you pulled my heart and my soul towards you." Both Platinum and Diamond gagged inside. By this time, the man - with the two Sinnoh Dex Holders trailing - had brought them to a large room, rather grandly decorated, before he spoke again. "Ah, yes. Lady Berlitz - if I may - I do believe this is exactly where the reception will be held."

"R-Reception?" Platinum asked, confused.

"Yes, of course." He strolled up to her, flashing a winning smile. Diamond froze and looked at Platinum, who was just as confused as he. The guy - whom Diamond was pretty sure he really, really didn't like - reached into his bag and produced a red velvet box from his handbag and knelt on the floor. "Now, I haven't known you for long, but I believe in love at first sight. So. My dear, won't you marry me?"

He opened the box and a large - very large - ring appeared, gold and encrusted with glittering gemstones that caught the light from the golden chandelier. It held two large diamonds right on the top that had to be bigger than Platinum's pinky fingernail. They were set in gold with more, glittering, gemstones. "What do you think? There's tons more where that little beauty came from," he winked. Diamond, stared at the ring with dread, and it felt like his heart had just hit the floor. He looked over at Platinum, who'd been stunned into silence. He knew what was coming next and had no intention of watching. "Um, excuse me," Diamond said awkwardly, and walked back the way they'd come, though he couldn't make himself leave completely.

Platinum watched him go, horrified. She felt even more so when the man ever-so-carefully placed his arm around her shoulders. "Good; I'm glad he knew it was our time together, eh? Who was that peasant boy, anyway?"

Diamond, from his post around the corner, felt like he'd been shot. Who was he, indeed? He WAS an unworthy commoner, in more ways than one. He was an absolutely-

"You've outstayed your welcome," Platinum suddenly said in a frosty tone.

The man was stunned. "What? But I-"

"Get out of my home," she ordered quietly.

There was a heavy pause in which Diamond could have sworn he heard an Pokémon yawn before the man spoke again. "Fine, then," he agreed. "For now. But I'll leave this with your name on it." He winked yet again and left. The door clicked shut a few minutes later.

Platinum was frozen where she was. _The...the first time Dia had come to visit me, and now...now he's gone._ She was no fool; she'd seen the look on Diamond's face, the poorly hidden hurt. _He's...he's...never...never coming back, is he?_ The thought of which sent her near to tears.

Diamond paused in leaving. He really was about to leave; not for his sake, but for hers. But the man had unknowingly passed Diamond as he was leaving, and the Dex Holder became to worried for Platinum. "M-Missy?"

Platinum jerked her head up. "Y-You didn't leave?" Hope soared through her; so much so that her wording took a spiraling dive. Diamond indeed took it the wrong way. "I was on my way out," he said stiffly.

Platinum, not understanding her words' double meaning, gasped. "Why?"

Everything he'd buried inside for nearly a decade suddenly rose up and burst from him. "Look around you!" he pointed to the fancy furniture and golden chandelier in the enormous room. "I don't belong here! You-you're so much more than I could ever be, in so many ways. You know that. And the most obvious - well, I mean, did you SEE that ring?! And he said he has tons more; I really don't think he was joking!"

Platinum had seen so. And now she could see rage and desperation warring on his face.

"Missy, you are my best friend. You are incredible and kind and intelligent, and you were ready and able to put aside your wealthy background for adventure and danger for the sake of the world. Every morning of our journey was so great, because I saw you every single day. Then when we parted after so much, it was like something was ripped from my heart. It hurt so much, but there wasn't exactly anything I could control. But I've always wanted to see you, to be with you. And when I finally do, after all the sacrifices I've made mentally, physically, and emotionally, I get shown up BADLY by a man who probably has rooms of treasure and wealth!"

Platinum was both touched by his words and frightened by his expression. "D-Diamond, what sacrifices? Why?"

"Every day, every moment of the past four years especially have been for you, Missy! Because I love you. You are the only one. The only one there ever was, is, and ever will be for me." He angrily reached into his own pocket and brought out a little, black, velvet ring box.

She gasped again.

Diamond opened the box and held it out so she could see. The ring had a simple yet delicate platinum band, and a diamond set right on top. The ring's band twisted a little to form a holder for the diamond before continuing its loop. There were two small gems embedded on either side of the diamond: one pink and one dark blue.

It was perfect. It was so perfect, it didn't call attention to its perfectness. Effortlessly elegant.

Diamond was too far deep to back out now, and so words continued to exit through his mouth without passing through his mind. "I've been saving and planning and dreaming for four years to make this for you, Missy. Four entire years, and I'm still in quite a bit of debt at the moment already! I came with a plan, and he showed me up by millions!" Always one to be affected by emotion, even all these years later, Diamond found himself having difficulty breathing as his eyesight blurred warningly. "I thought I had a chance. I really, really did. Now I see that I was so terribly wrong. With guys like him showing up on your doorstep, I bet you'll forget all about tonight. And me," he said bitterly, miserably. "There's no way I could ever compete with any of them!"

There was another silence, this one a lot stronger than before as Platinum assimilated everything. Then she spoke, softly. "No. You couldn't ever compete with them, could you?" Diamond's heart snapped. He knew it was true, but to actually hear it point-blank from her? Ouch. Major ouch. He knew he was hopeless, worthless, unnoticeable, and rightfully so.

Well, that's what he thought in those tense two seconds.

Platinum smiled at him. "Dia, the reason you couldn't compete with them is because you would - how do you say it? - you would 'blow them out of the river?'"

He cracked a smile. "'Blow them out of the water?'"

She smiled larger and nodded. "You do, you truly do. Diamond, I don't understand how you could think that you are worthless when to me, you mean everything. You opened up my world and brought me on that adventure. You saved me so many times and taught me so many things. You are amazing, and your ability to think on your feet, extreme loyalty, and...and just all of your skills impresses me every day; you were the only thing that kept me going on my journey. You let me experience fun for the first time. And...I love you, Dia."

Time halted. He swallowed. "Really?"

"Really."

He cleared his throat. "Well, since I kind of already ruined the surprise, I guess I could ask now...Lady Platinum Berlitz, or Missy, will you marry me?"

"Do you even need to ask? Yes!" And, simply said, Platinum experienced her first kiss.

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><p><strong>Ta-da! I hope you liked it, because I sure did. For some reason I can really see him feeling like he could never compete with all of Platinum's wealth (and her as a person), so that's partly where this is coming from. And also because I don't have much CommonerShipping (as opposed to the seven MangaQuest in <em>Song Fic Collection<em> alone).**

**Reviews and PMs are appreciated! :)**


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